Many people do not realize that the ability to pray in tongues is also a very valuable tool when seeking healing from the Lord. Of course, this gift comes with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, because so many in the Body of Christ have been taught that the baptism in the Holy Spirit and tongues are not for today, those Christians do not have the opportunity to take advantage of this avenue to health.

It is not the purpose of this book to teach a lesson on tongues, so we will limit the explanation to the following: There are two different categories of tongues spoken of in the Word of God. One is the gift described in 1 Corinthians 12, which includes both tongues for personal prayer and for giving messages from the Lord in public meetings.

When used for giving public messages, the tongues must be accompanied by interpretation, and scripture explains that tongues used in that category are not necessarily available to everyone all the time. The gift of tongues for messages, along with the gift of interpretation are operated, like all the other nine gifts of the Spirit, and they are manifested only as the Spirit wills. The entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 14 gives detailed explanations of how these gifts should be used in public meetings.

However, the second category – tongues for personal use – is given to all believers and, whether or not those believers make use of this gift is entirely up to each person. We must be careful to understand that even if we do not find ourselves used to give public messages in tongues, we have Jesus’ word of promise that we will have access to tongues for personal prayer equally with every other believer. Mark 16:15-17 tells us clearly,

Now, the word translated in English as “tongues” is actually the Greek word which means “languages not learned through natural means.” So, in other words, a totally supernatural gift from the Lord that bypasses our intellect.

The Lord explains, through the words of St. Paul, in Romans 8:2-27, that often “we do not know how to pray as we should.” And, of course, many people, when they are suffering physically, find it hard to pray as effectively as they need to pray. But God has a solution to this problem, and verse 26 tells us that His Holy Spirit helps us pray through utterances too deep for words. (The literal Greek here says “groanings or utterances too deep for articulate speech.”)

St. Paul, through the Holy Spirit, goes on to tell us in 1 Corinthians 14:5 that he wishes we would all pray much in tongues. And he makes clear in verse 14 of that chapter that when we pray in tongues, our minds are not involved – only our spirits. It is true that our minds must make the decision to allow our spirit to be in charge of our prayer, so that we release our tongue to speak the utterances the Holy Spirit gives us, but other than making that decision of the will, the mind has no part to play. As a result of that fact, our own mind, our own lack of understanding of medical conditions, and our own fears are shut out, and our spirit – helped by the Holy Spirit – takes over our prayers.

But possibly one of the most exciting truths in this passage of Scripture is what we learn in verses 2 and 4 of chapter 14. Verse 2 tells us that when we pray in tongues, we speak mysteries to God. He can also speak mysteries back to us because He’s in charge of the language. We must do the actual physical speaking, but He provides what’s being said in the sounds we make. But since we’re speaking mysteries, not only does our un-renewed mind stay out of the picture, but so does the enemy of our souls, because he can’t understand what we’re saying either.

But wait: It still gets better. Verse 4 tells us that the one who prays in tongues edifies himself. Now, most people consider that verse to mean that we build ourselves up spiritually. And, of course, we do, but that’s not the total benefit. The word translated “edify” means “to build or repair the house.” Now, let that sink in: your spirit is praying (with the language provided by the Holy Spirit), and that prayer is building/repairing your spirit’s house. And what is that house? That’s right – it’s your physical body. A number of Christians have learned that healing – especially for seriously troubling or obstinate maladies – can come successfully through praying in tongues. I know of situations where nothing else seemed to bring the desired manifestation, but praying at length in the language given by the Holy Spirit accomplished the work and brought forth the miracle.

As we’ve said each time we’ve discussed one of the means of healing that God prescribes in His Word, these means and these practices are not formulas. They do not work because we follow a list of ‘do’s and ‘don’t’s. They are each an avenue that God has provided to get His healing power into us, and they work successfully when we dig into the Word and prayer and let God lead us to the specific means that is right for each of our situations at that particular time.

“HEALING IS FOR YOU!” by Sandra Pavloff Conner is now available in paperback on Amazon. Special low price: $6.99. It has been available in digital format, but paperback versions were available only at bookstores and from the publisher’s website until now. The new fourth edition went into the Amazon bookstore this week

The book is an in-depth study of the subject of healing based solely on God’s Word. It answers many of the most common questions about healing, such as the following:

Is it always God’s will to heal everyone?
If it’s God’s will to heal, why do some people fail to receive their healing?
What part does medical science play in God’s healing plan?
Is it God who determines when each person dies?
If I keep getting healed, how can I die?
If I don’t have faith for healing, is there some way to get that faith?

Sandra has been teaching God’s Word for over 40 years, and the Lord has blessed her to minister in the subject of healing in churches, schools, and seminars for most of that time. She conducts healing schools several times a year and serves as an associate minister here at Fires of Revival in Benton, IL.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater: so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8-11).

Did you catch the main point here? The Lord is telling us that the rain and the snow water the earth and MAKE it bring forth fruit, and that His Word will do exactly the same thing in us. That is – The Word of God, when it is received into the ground for which it is intended – our spirit, soul, and body – will MAKE that ground – our spirit, soul, and body – bring forth the fruit of the Word. It’s because of this truth that God can say His Word will not return to Him void, without accomplishing that which He wills.

We know for sure that God’s Word is His Will. He has told us repeatedly throughout scripture, both Old and New Covenants, that He created all that is natural by and through His Word – and that His Word will never fade away nor fail. He tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is “God-breathed.” (Original Greek). So His Word has creative power in it, just as it did on the first day of creation, and has been sent to create the things of God – all that is of life, health, and holiness – in us.

Now, let’s look at one specific set of His words that have been sent to accomplish a very specific and exact work. Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son, give attention to My words. Incline thine ear to My sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes. Keep them in thine heart. For they (My Words) are life unto you that find them and health (medicine) to all your flesh.” The word translated health in this passage is actually a Hebrew word that is correctly translated “health” and “medicine.” So God tells us here clearly that His Word is medicine for all of our flesh. There’s nothing left out in the words “all of our flesh.” There is no disease or physical affliction for which God’s Word is not medicine. But it’s even better than mere medicine. It’s medicine with a guarantee that it will restore health.

When we couple that information with the information He gives us in Isaiah 55:10-11, we find that His Word, when we apply it in faith as medicine to our physical bodies, will MAKE our bodies bring forth the fruit of health. “But,” you may say, “it’s not happening in my life or the lives of many people I know.” That is true. But just how many people do you know who will search God’s Word until they know exactly what it says about healing and until they are saturated in God’s healing Words? I don’t know many, but the ones I do know – including myself – have found that Word every bit as effective in fruit-bearing as those passages indicate.

I have failed to apply it faithfully at times in my life and had to live with the results. BUT – every time that I HAVE applied it – to my own body and to those of loved ones — to serious problems and minor problems alike – it has worked a healing and a cure – even when doctors said the body had been damaged too much to recover or that surgery was the only option. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of believers all over the world have found this same effectiveness for their bodies and have testified of it for generations.

But, dear one, you must not make the decision to believe God’s Word as your medicine based on the experiences of other people. You must make the decision to believe based only on whether you trust the Word of God. He tells us, in absolutely certain terms, that His Word is His medicine for our bodies. And then in Hebrews 4:11, He also tell us that His Word is “alive and powerful, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow of the bones.”

Now, medical science tells us that all blood cell production takes place in the bone marrow. And the Word tells us that the life of the flesh is in the blood. If that is the case, just think what can happen if we saturate ourselves with the Word of God enough to fill our bone marrow with it. Since God promises that the Word –like the rain and snow – will MAKE the ground bear fruit, then that Word in our bone marrow will MAKE our body bear a harvest as well. When you get enough Word in the blood cells flowing into every cell of your body, it can go to work destroying the unhealthy cells and energizing the creation of healthy ones. Then, in a matter of time, that sick body becomes a healthy body.

Consider taking God’s Word seriously. Consider believing what He tells us. And consider sitting down with the Word and reading it into your own body – especially the portions that speak healing and health – absorbing it regularly, faithfully – at least as regularly and faithfully as you would take the pills or the medical treatments a human doctor prescribes. Give God’s medicine the same honor and attention that you give man-made medicine, and see if it doesn’t MAKE your body bear a wonderful harvest of God’s health and life.

F.F.Bosworth was a powerful evangelist of the 20th century. God used him to bring the Gospel of redemption and healing to a world of hurting people. His book “Christ the Healer” has long been considered one of the paramount classics on the subject of healing, and Bosworth’s son has made the content of that book available on video. He reads the entire text of his father’s book on a series of videos available through YouTube, and you can pick up the link to the whole series from the video below: